Colorado

[uzisuzuki]

Wow, Wow, and Wow again! Your coop is beautiful! (What is the "skyway"?). Your birds are beautiful! And your photo is a work of art!

Thank you! My dad built a covered walkway from the pen to the coop that looks like the skyways used to get from the terminal to the airplane, so we just started calling it a skyway.

Thank you Uzi. It is good to know that it made her far less easy to catch. I am still a bit concerned about at least partial blindness in Jennifer. I will have to pay attention to if she is harder to catch with the trimmed crest or not. She is able to eat at least. I thought she was maybe just bumping into the feed dish but I saw her actually actively eating off the ground. She keeps flipping her head before each peck. I assume to get a glimpse of the food. I may try and trim her closer to help her all I can. I cut what I thought was quite a bit off but perhaps in the grand scheme of things I need to trim more.

Having Hawks coming around would worry me with yours being tiny birds. Them hawks are brave when it comes to swooping in for a chicken.

Odysseus has great eye sight and I am sure he is a fast bugger when he wants to be. Those little roosters can be quite a boon in keeping the ladies warned of potential danger.

Years ago when I had the bantam cochin rooster (named Scooter) he was awesome. LOL small and slow at running with them big feathers but super at making the alarm call when a hawk was above. Once I was in the barn (in the coop section) when he did it and OH MAN, there were 30 hens coming in both on foot and on wing as fast as they could. The door was a horse stall door so quite tall. It was hard to get out of the way of the hens that were coming in panicked.

No problem! I think how much you want to cut should be up to the owner since you know your chickens. I had a person get really snippy with me because I wasn't trimming all the crests.

These hawks are pretty brave! They were circling super low while I was outside painting the coop. I did not phase them in the slightest! LOL

 

[COChix]

Well we are up to 3 hatched by Mamacita. All are doing well, she got off the nest for a bit as she was hot our gauge said 91! She taught the babies how to eat and drink both dry and fermented food as well as having an egg dinner. She went back to the nest, I tried to glance over the eggs when she was off but was too busy trying to get photos of the babies. I have no doubt that she will be a fierce Mama.

I love watching her in action, it is so cool to experience and be apart of it all! I love chickens....lol.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Uzi,
I do not know why someone would be snippy just cause not all your hens need a trim.

I plan to only trim if there is an issue with walking into things or finding food. So far Jennifer is the one having the most trouble. The others seem to be ok with their headdresses. I figure if I can see the eyes they can see beyond the feathers.
When I was out in the country and had the little rooster there was no lid on my run. It was just a horse corral off the side of the barn. I would let them into it in the morning and go to work. Never lost one to a hawk even though there were a few bantams in with my large birds. I think the little roosters are very good at hollering "Take cover". I have had much more trouble with hawks in town than I ever did out there.

Cochix,
Super cute little ones and she looks to be a doting mama. Love the second pic. LOL "mama, mama, I want a piggy back ride."

 

[suncatcher]

Awww, such cuties, love see the little ones climb all over Momma! Congrats!

Boy was it hot here yesterday! Bet it was sweltering on the front range, kind of early to be this hot????

The Aspens finally are getting their leaves!

 

[21hens-incharge]

I kind of remember a post when it was cold out saying whoever complained about the heat first had to buy the first round lol.

I think it is you this time Suncatcher. LOL and

Seriously yes it was rather warm and seems even more so since we just had all that cold.

 

[suncatcher]

Well, I don't recall that post, but sure....... Whatcha having? lol

 

[suncatcher]

Is a beautiful day here!!!

 

[21hens-incharge]

Lol on a day like today lemonade sounds pretty darn good.

That is a beautiful picture. You live where the views are breathtaking. (I am totally envious of that view)

We are sitting at a mere 72 degrees but the humidity is high making it feel much warmer.

I went out to try and till the garden and found Jennifer had escaped the temporary run. She was the only one out of the run and I have no idea how she did it.
I think she can see pretty well with the new trim since I had to break out the bird net to catch the little sneak.

 

[suncatcher]

Ditto on the lemonade!!!!

Guess the humidity is coming from the rain we had lately, is kinda muggy here too.

There is one in every bunch, the escape artist!!!

Yep, it is beautiful here in Gods Country!!

Noticed they have plowed the Pikes Peak Hwy, guess it will be open soon!

 

[21hens-incharge]

The dirt here is so bad the smaller tiller (only one I could get to start) wont even hardly scratch the surface.
I am now building raised beds. SO VERY NOT looking forward to hauling in dirt.
No wonder my plants do so poorly in the garden. Hard to take root in concrete.
I have enough lumber to get a 39" x 104" bed made that is 12 inches deep. Wonder if that will be enough depth or if I need to wait for DH to get out the big tiller. It is kind of to late for a lot of things but I could still do onions, radish and cabbage among a few others.
I may actually try bell peppers again. Never had luck with them in the regular dirt.
I did not see the hardness of it before since DH always got the tiller in there before I started digging or I was very early in the season before it hardened up.

Well I am off to go buy a truck load of better dirt. I think I will end up making raised boxes for all my veggies from now on.